Have you ever lit the interior of a tank? We have. It was just one of the many challenges we faced while shooting for the show "Heavy Metal," telecast on The History Channel. Rich shot with a PAL Sony D-600 and PAL Sony PD-150 during seven days of shooting. All the footage was for two programs-one on the M1- Abrams tank and the other on the Black Hawk helicopter.
There were 11 interviews, b-roll of the tank and chopper in action and re-enactment footage to help tell the stories. The re-enactments were of battle scenes during the conflict in Somalia and Desert Storm. We also mounted a lipstick camera in multiple locations on the Abrams and the Black Hawk for some unbelievable angles.
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M1 Studio and Lights
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Rich Stone in Turret
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With three crewmen and Rich inside the of the tank's turret, there was not a lot of room for lights. We wanted a realistic, somewhat dramatic look, not just a compartment flooded with light. With some creative rigging of Dedolights, Arri 150s, rope lights and gels we achieved the look we wanted. Our grip tried very hard to smoke Rich out of the turret while simulating a hit on the tank.
While shooting re-enactment shots at night outside the tank we proved the dependability of Arri lights. We repeatedly threw concussion grenades near the same Arri 650 and the light never flickered, however, we cannot say the same for the crew. Despite repeated requests, our crew was not allowed to drive the tank.
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The Black Hawk show was shot at the same location. The first day was spent in the air, shooting from one Black Hawk. We mounted a lipstick camera inside and outside the chopper for very unique angles. The last flight of the day proved to be the toughest. The pilot flew the Black Hawk at an altitude of about 15 feet (at a very high rate of speed I might add), constantly banking and changing height depending on the terrain. It was better than any roller coaster you could imagine. On the second day, we moved on to the re-enactments. We relied heavily on silks and reflectors to light the interior of the chopper. We also improvised a creative dolly move with an SUV.
Two weeks later, we shot interviews for another upcoming "Heavy Metal" program featuring the P-38 Lightning, a fighter aircraft from WWII.
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Blackhawk with Chris and Reflectors
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